


Second Chances

by DearLazerBunny



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-31
Updated: 2018-10-31
Packaged: 2019-08-11 04:24:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16468664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DearLazerBunny/pseuds/DearLazerBunny
Summary: Requested by anon, who wanted an mean-to-the-reader-but-secretly-likes-them Kylo  let me know if you enjoy it anon and if there’s any changes you’d like made!





	Second Chances

Sitting back from your desk, you stretch your arms above your head, barely avoiding a groan. You’d been working nonstop all day- time for a little break. You grab your coffee mug from its place of honor to the right of your computer and head to the break room, where you can smell a fresh pot brewing. Unfortunately, you pause in the doorway. Looks like someone beat you to it.

Kylo Ren, also known as the world’s biggest pain in the ass and infinite thorn in your side, is staring intently at the coffee pot waiting for it to finish dripping, completely blocking the countertop. How just like him.

“Ahem.” You clear your throat, and he turns. When he see you, his eyes immediately narrow.

“Y/L/N.”

“Ren. Would you mind moving your- sorry. Would you please consider moving your entitled self a few feet to the left so everyone can enjoy the coffee?”

“Wow, you even said please this time. Just for that- no.” He continues staring at the pot.

Why is it this man’s goal to make your life as difficult as possible? Through gritted teeth, you ask, “did you at least put those papers I requested on my desk?”

“I gave them to Janet.”

“I- specifically asked that you give them to me.”

“But I don’t like you, so. Easy decision.”

God fucking- you intentionally take a deep breath as he finally fills his cup. Calm down, Y/N. This is nothing new, just the usual back and forth. No need to get upset. That is, until he pointedly looks at you, takes the brand spanking new pot of coffee, and very deliberately pours it down the kitchen sink, casually sipping from his mug in the other hand as he does so.

“Enjoy your coffee.” He drops the pot into the sink with a clang of finality before sauntering out of the kitchen as your anger simmers into overdrive.

Stalking back to your desk, you slam your mug down and sit yourself down, rubbing your hand over your forehead to ward off a migraine. Why does he insist on being such an asshole? And why does it bother you so much? Maybe it’s because to absolutely everyone else in the office, he’s perfectly decent towards. Well, maybe not decent, but certainly not hostile. He’s always been a bit of a loner, never really making any friends or talking to anyone throughout the workday. Kind of awkward around people, if you think about it. But still, being friendless is no excuse for the amount of shit you put up with.

You retrieve your papers from Janet, which is actually a very important set of documents crucial to closing a project you were assigned months ago. Work of this magnitude meant a raise, maybe even a promotion- if you did it right. The only problem is, it meant you had to work directly with Ren’s department, and Ren himself. It was a struggle to get him to do anything for you, but apparently he eventually got the papers done.

So you thought. Looking over the first page, something seems… off. And studying it more closely, your heart sinks with every line. All of the data you requested is either complete gibberish or definitely not what was actually aggregated, and most of the graphs look like they were done by a kindergartner on Microsoft paint. Entire paragraphs are copied and pasted from random internet articles that have nothing to do with the topic at hand, and it’s all written in what looks like comic sans. Worst of all, at the end of the twenty-plus page document, is his own signature- Kylo Ren- signing off on the report.

All at once, your chest grows tight, and tears begin to well in your eyes. This project was due in two days, there was no way you’d have time to redo all this work. What had you done to deserve this? You were perfectly pleasant to everyone- until Ren started being rude, and then you could give as good as you take. But this- this was the final straw. Snippy comments were one thing, but there’s no way you’re letting some lowlife asshole jeopardize your career.

Wiping away water with one finger, careful not to smudge your makeup, you pull up your email and begin typing a manifesto that you should have started a long, long time ago.

“Ren.” You stand by his desk, rigid, but internally triumphant. “If I could please speak with you in the board room.”

“Bit busy here at the moment, sweetheart.” He isn’t, of course, just dicking around online that doesn’t look like anything work related, but you take a deep breath and plaster on your best pretty-please falsetto.

“I really need to speak with you. I’m sure your… work can wait.”

Taken aback by your tone- your voice never got nicer than a growl when talking in his general direction- he finally nods and stands, following you to the meeting room. It’s private and not scheduled to be used for another hour, which is all you need to get your point across. You even hold the wooden door open for him as he walks in.

“What is this about? I’m more important than you, I’ve got actual work to complete.”

“Oh, because scrolling through tumblr counts as work. Right,” you shoot back.

“If you brought me in here to snark at me, I’m more than happy to oblige, but I have a meeting right about now, so I’ll see you in the break room-”

You hold out a hand, effectively stopping this six foot something man in his place. “No, you don’t. I checked your schedule. Sit your ass down.”

He does so, crossing his legs with a smirk on his face. “Such language. I could have you reported for that.”

You slam his bogus report down in front of him onto the table. “Mind explaining what this is?”

He smiles. “Just the report you asked for.”

“I’m not even going to dignify that with a response. Did you know the CEO asked me personally to handle this for him?”

Suddenly, his face seems to turn a little somber. “The CEO? He-”

“Did you know.” You cut him off, tears wavering in your voice, “That this project could have meant a raise for me? Maybe even a promotion?”

“No, I- are you crying?”

Damnit. You blink them away. “No. Of course you didn’t. Because all you are is a twelve year old _child_ who insists on pulling bully pranks on someone who doesn’t deserve it.” You tap the papers in front of him. “I reported to to HR. Expect to hear from them very, very soon.”

Now he’s paying attention. “You did what now?”

“You heard me. I reported you. I’m sick of the abuse, Ren. I’m sick of the pettiness, the anxiety, the useless arguing. And once I show them what you handed me for this project? They won’t have any choice but to believe me.”

“Y/N-”

“No, don’t you Y/N me, Ren. It’s over. You’re done.”

“I can explain.”

That stops you short. “You- you can explain? Explain what, exactly? Why you’re hell bent on making my life miserable? I might accept that after one bad joke, Ren, but not after an entire _year_ of putting me down. If you have some sort of excuse, it better be a damn good one.”

“I- I like you.”

You stare at him. Wonder if you heard him right. No, that’s definitely what he said. Then slowly, take a seat across the table from him in one of the big leather armchairs. Your voice is dangerously calm. “You. What?”

“I like you.” He’s wide eyed, almost like he’s begging.

You laugh. You laugh so hard tears come to your eyes, but this time from sheer glee rather than frustration. You laugh so hard you’re almost out of breath and have to gasp for air. “You like me. You like me! Well, that clears up abso-fucking-lutely everything now doesn’t it?” You stand and straighten your skirt. “Get out of here. I assume you might want to start packing your desk.”

“No, Y/N, wait-” he grabs your wrist, which you wrench away.

“Don’t touch me, you creep.”

“Hear me out, then. Please. One minute.”

You sigh. Might as well give a dead man his final wish. “Fine. One minute.”

“I…. like you. I’ve liked you from the moment you’ve stepped foot in the office. And I thought I could get your attention by-”

“By what? Being horrific towards me?”

He winces. “Am I really that bad?”

“Try worse.”

“God.” He runs his hands through his hair, mussing the curls. To think when he first started here you thought he was attractive. “ I really fucked everything up, didn’t I?”

Unexpectedly, a tiny sliver of sympathy runs through you. “Even more than you could possibly imagine.” And with that, you march out of the room, head held high.

…..

Ren did indeed get fired the next day. You tried not to feel sorry for him as he slowly packed up his desk- after all, he brought this on himself. But you couldn’t help but feel the tiniest bit guilty. You didn’t know if you’d actually wanted to get him fired- having the abuse stop probably would have been enough? But no. Now you wouldn’t have to see his face everyday as a reminder of what you went through.

It’s been a month since then and you can honestly say you’ve never been happier at your job. No more constant aggravation or anger directed towards you has done wonders for your productivity, and you’ve actually started to make friends around the office. As time went on, Ren became a distant memory, and you quickly rose to one of the best workers in the office. However, on the off days, you couldn’t help but wonder if he had found another job, or if he was doing okay. Hell, even going to the coffee machine was a little too quiet for your liking now that he was gone. It was almost like you… missed him? But that couldn’t be right.

“Y/N?” You look up and see Phasma, the CEO’s assistant, standing by your desk. “If you’re not busy at the moment, Mr. Hux would like a word with you.”

Oh, damn. “No, I’m not busy. Is he ready now?”

She nods, and gestures for you to follow her. You do so, down the carpeted corridor and to the big imposing glass office that rules that floor of the office. Hux is sitting at his desk in an ever-polished suit, writing something on a notepad, but he looks up when Phasma knocks on the door. “Y/N here to see you, sir.” He waves you in and you go through the big doors and stand behind the chairs opposite his desk, unsure if it was appropriate to sit down or not.

“Please, have a seat.” You do so at the very edge, trying not to wring your hands nervously. “So, Y/N, how goes the project?”

Said project is the one that Ren almost ruined, but luckily the contractors were very understanding and let you have an extension to complete the work. “Exactly on schedule, sir. And I promise this time it will be done right.”

“Ah, yes. That is in the line of what I called you in here to talk about.” He drops his pen and steeples his fingers. “I’d like to speak with you about Ren.”

“R- Ren?” You ask, confused. “What about him, sir?”

He sighs. “I thought I might provide a bit of…context, to the situation. If you would like to hear me out, of course.” You nod, unsure of where this is going. “You see, I personally hired Ren. He and I are friends, from our college days. And as his friend, I would like to be the first to apologize for how he’s treated you.”

“Um, thank you, sir.”

He nods. “You see, Ren has always been… troubled, when faced with human interactions. He doesn’t really know how to handle people, or their emotions… or his own. In fact, it’s because of this he was having difficulty finding a job, and so I took him on as a favor. He’s smart, you see, and good at what he does. But he doesn’t know how to interact on a basic level.”

“…what are you saying?”

Hux smiles thinly. “My point is, how he interacted with you is the only way he knows how to interact with people he likes. I ad to cut off communication with him at work because if anyone saw him snarking at me, they’d wonder why I didn’t fire him immediately. But it’s just his way. He doesn’t know any other.”

“So you’re telling me when he told me he liked me, he was telling the truth. And by harassing me, he was showing me that he liked me?”

Hux raises an eyebrow. “He told you he liked you?”

“Right after I told him I was going to get him fired, yes.”

“Interesting. He’s usually a very closely guarded person. To tell you such a thing…” there’s a vague twinkle in his eye, an expression you’ve never seen on your boss’ face. “You must really be something special to him.”

“Something- forgive me if I’m having a hard time believing you.”

“I know it can be difficult to understand. All I ask is that you think on what I’ve told you.”

“I- sure. I will. Thank you.”

He nods. “You’re free to go.”

You leave the office more confused than ever.

…

That night at home, after ruminating over several glasses of wine, you had to admit part of what Hux had told you made sense. Why Ren never had many friends in the office, why he only seemed to rag on you. You almost felt like you were going soft, but you felt like you owed him some sort of apology. Maybe you had just missed the right cues and picked up on all the wrong ones. You even felt a bit sorry for him, if you were being honest.

A knock on the door takes you out of your thoughts, and you go to look through the peephole. Lo and behold, none other than Kylo Ren stands there, hands behind his back. You open it, ready to apologize before he could say anything, but are surprised by him shoving a big bundle of flowers right under your nose before you could even take a breath.

“Ren…? What are..?” You take them from his grasp and hold them out- a beautiful arrangement of assorted blooms and blossoms. “They’re lovely.”

“Do you like them?” He’s looking at you anxiously, like a child who’s expecting a scolding.

You have to smile. “Yes, I do. Do you want to come in?”

He looks surprised, but nods, following you inside. He stands quietly in the living room as you bustle to the kitchen to put the flowers in water.

“I know Hux talked to you.”

You sigh. “Yes, Kylo, he did. And-”

“Wait. What did you just say?”

“I’m- sorry?”

“Kylo. You called me Kylo.” He looks mystified, but also insanely happy. “You’ve never called me that before.”

“I guess I haven’t. Is.. that okay?”

“Oh, yeah, definitely. I was just… surprised, I guess.”

You nod. “Hux did talk to me, Kylo. But to be honest, I’d like to hear it in your own words.”

He sighs. “That’s what I was afraid of.” He sits down on the couch, running his hands through his hair. “I’m not good with… words. Or people. Or how people might think of me, when I do certain things. I’ve never liked anyone like you, Y/N. All my friends, they know me, they know how I talk, and they know to just brush it off and call me a dick when I do something stupid. But you… aren’t them. I never stopped to think that you wouldn’t know how to take it when I was being a jerk.” He takes a breath. “And I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. For everything.”

“I like you a lot, and I didn’t know how to deal with it, so I went to my default.” He looks up at you. “Hux explained to me that that probably wasn’t the best idea.”

“Well, you’re spot on about just about everything. How was I supposed to know tormenting was your way of being friendly?”

“You couldn’t have, Y/N, it’s not your fault, it’s mine. And I hope, someday… you’ll let me take you out. To show you how sorry I am, and maybe make up for all the times I made you cry.”

“How about tonight?”

His eyes widen. “T- tonight?”

“Kylo, just by explaining yourself you’ve shown me how sorry you are. And I believe you, trust me.” You take a deep breath. “So maybe we can just start over, okay? Starting tonight.”

His smile could have lit up the entire city. “I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

 


End file.
